SAAM XIMBAL Joins Lázaro Cárdenas Port Tug Fleet

SAAM XIMBAL is headed for harbour work at Mexico’s Port of Lázaro Cárdenas, bringing more than 80 tonnes of bollard pull and a 13-knot free-running speed to the Pacific port. Built by Türkiye-based Sanmar Shipyards, the tug is the 18th SANMAR vessel delivered to SAAM Towage since 2018 and the 13th BOĞAÇAY Class tug in its fleet.

The assignment puts the vessel’s compact dimensions and high installed power to work in ship-handling operations. At 24.4 metres long, with a 12-metre moulded beam, a least moulded depth of 4.5 metres and a navigational draught of 5.45 metres, SAAM XIMBAL is sized for harbour duties while delivering the force needed to assist larger vessels. Its FiFi 1 firefighting capability adds another operational function alongside towing and ship assistance.

Power and onboard systems

The tug is built to the RAmparts 2400SX-MKII design, developed for SANMAR by Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd. Two CAT 3516E main engines each produce 2,350 kW at 1,800 rpm. Together, the engines give the vessel the power behind its stated bollard pull, while its 13-knot free-running speed supports movement between assignments within port operations.

Onboard automation is intended to support operating efficiency. The vessel also carries a sewage treatment unit and an oily water separator, equipment SANMAR says meets SAAM’s sustainability requirements. Those systems address sewage and oily water onboard; the source provides no emissions figures or other quantified environmental performance data.

The vessel was known as BOĞAÇAY XCVI during construction in Türkiye. Its delivery adds one more unit to a series that now accounts for 13 tugs in SAAM Towage’s fleet. SANMAR describes BOĞAÇAY as one of its established tug designs, while the latest vessel’s listed specifications show the mix of pulling force, speed and firefighting capacity being deployed at Lázaro Cárdenas.

A mixed fleet at SAAM Towage

SAAM Towage’s SANMAR-built fleet also includes three all-electric ElectRA harbour tugs and two BİGAÇAY Class vessels built to the RAstar 2900SX design. Along with the 13 BOĞAÇAY Class units, those vessels give the operator a varied group of tugs from the same shipyard, spanning different designs and propulsion approaches. The source identifies the ElectRA vessels as all-electric but gives no further technical details about their capabilities or routes.

That fleet mix is relevant to how the new delivery fits into SAAM Towage’s operations. SAAM XIMBAL adds another conventionally powered BOĞAÇAY Class tug to the company’s Mexican port work, while the other SANMAR-built vessels in its fleet include electric harbour tugs. The available specifications make the role of the new vessel clearest: it combines twin high-output engines, more than 80 tonnes of bollard pull and firefighting equipment for demanding harbour assignments.

Sanmar Commercial Director Rüçhan Çıvgın said the delivery marked the companies’ 18th tug transaction since 2018 and noted that SAAM Towage now operates 13 BOĞAÇAY Class tugs. He described the series as having a track record in international markets and said the latest delivery would support fleet renewal across the Americas.

SAAM Towage Innovation and Shipbuilding Director Pablo Caceres said the company expects its relationship with SANMAR to continue growing. He pointed to the delivery of highly powered tugs with varied capabilities and sustainability equipment for the operator’s Mexican operations.

Port assignment and operator context

SAAM XIMBAL will operate from Lázaro Cárdenas, on Mexico’s Pacific coast. The port assignment gives the delivery a defined operational destination, while the vessel’s dimensions and equipment provide the practical details most relevant to ship operators: draught, beam, available pull, speed and firefighting capability. No start date for operations or specific vessel calls was provided.

SAAM Towage provides harbour towage, including assistance with berthing and unberthing, as well as offshore hydrocarbon loading and unloading, salvage and other specialised maritime services. The company describes itself as the largest towage services operator in the Americas and the third largest worldwide, with more than 60 years of experience. SANMAR, which is based in Türkiye, says it has built tugboats for 50 years and serves the global towage sector.

For fleet managers, the concrete change is an additional BOĞAÇAY Class tug assigned to a major commercial port on Mexico’s Pacific coast. SAAM XIMBAL’s stated power, pulling capacity and onboard systems set out what the vessel brings to the operator’s existing fleet; its performance in service will depend on the demands of the port work it is assigned.